Why in News?
A report by the NGO Wetlands International South Asia has stated that for every 1 sq km of increase in built-up area, Indian cities lost 25 hectares of wetland over the last four decades which is aggravating the menace of Urban Floods in India and exposing the weaknesses of Urban Flood Management in India.

Context:  
India is immensely vulnerable to floods. Flood is a disastrous occurrence causing a huge loss of lives and damage property, infrastructure and public utilities. It is a cause for concern that the flood-related damages are showing an increasing trend.
 
What are Floods? 
Inundation of land and human settlements by the rise of water in the channels and its spill-over presents the condition of flooding. They are caused by both natural and manmade causes.
 
Flood Management in India: 
Flood management in India largely follows the NDMA guidelines of 2008.
 
1. Flood forecasting and warning 
Flood forecasting (FF) enables us to be forewarned as to when the river is going to use its flood plain, to what extent and for how long.
It involves:
·         Data collection, transmission, processing and dissemination on hydrological parameters like rainfall.
·         The Central Water Commission issues flood forecasting.
·         Indian Meteorological department monitors and issues warning against extreme weather events.
·         International cooperation with Nepal, Bhutan and China for hydrological data on river upper basins.
·         The National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) provides medium-range weather helping in flood preparedness

2. Flood prevention, mitigation, and preparedness:  
Structural measures
·         Embankments/Banks, Flood Walls, Flood Levees
·         Channel improvement
·         Desilting and dredging of rivers
·         Dams, reservoirs and water storage capacity improvement
·         Drainage improvement by removing congestion
·         Diversion of floodwater through programmes like river linking
·         Catchment area treatment through afforestation
·         Construction of sea walls.
Non-structural measures:
·         Flood plain zoning i.e. regulating of land use in the flood plain
·         Flood proofing i.e. raising flood shelters, raising public utility installations above flood plain level.
·         Integrated water resource management
Medical preparedness
·         Patient evacuation plan
·         Disaster management plan by health facilities

3. Flood response:  
·         The Disaster management act provided for an institutional mechanism for the response for flood situations
·         The National Disaster Management Authority at the central level and State Disaster Management Authorities at the state level have the responsibility of laying down policies, plans and guidelines for disaster management and coordinating their enforcement and implementation for ensuring a timely and effective response to disasters.
·         District Disaster Management Authority does the same at the district level
·         National and State Disaster response force acts as the main response and rescue operation force
Flood response consists of:
·         Proper evacuation plan
·         Deployment of search and rescue teams
·         Emergency relief such as food, water, electricity, medical facilities.
·         Formation of relief camps
·         Coordination of relief contributions from people

4. Capacity Building:  
The capacity building to combat flood situations forms the major part of flood management.
It consists of:
·         Education in school and colleges must incorporate disaster response and preparedness.
·         Capacity building of the frontline force such as police, local NGOs, government officials to deal with the situation
·         Research and development in flood management.
·         Incorporation of the local traditional method of flood tackling.
·         Capacity building of panchayat raj institutions to deal with the flood situation as they are the ground officials during flood.
·         Once the flood situation goes away, proper documentation of the experience must be done to improve further.
 
ISSUES WITH THE FLOOD MANAGEMENT IN INDIA: 
·         Delays in completion of projects under flood management program.
·         The shortfall of resources, especially of central assistance to the states.
·         Very few large dams in India have disaster management plans.
·         Scientific assessment of flood zones is still incomplete.
·         The state disaster management structure is not adopted by many states. The incomplete structure exacerbates the response issues.
·         The flood forecasting is very poor. The weather forecasting lacks accuracy.
·         Post-disaster deliberation is not done mostly which results in repeating of same mistakes every time

Mains Question:
 Q: Discuss the Vulnerability Profile of India to Urban Floods along with their Causes and also elaborate the NDMA Guidelines to tackle the menace of Floods in India?